Lightweight Champion

Seattle Rock/Alt Country band Lightweight Champion with Portland artists Arran Fagan and Jacqueline Hyde at Alberta Street Pub. $10 / 21+. Music at 7pm. https://www.instagram.com/lightweightchampionband/ https://www.instagram.com/arrantheginger/ https://www.instagram.com/jacquelinehyde.band/ Lightweight Champion is a musical collaboration between four seasoned Seattle-based musicians, focused around the songwriting of lead singer Aaron Spieldenner. Late 2021 brought the group together in its initial form, with Spieldenner joined by Massachusetts-raised singer-songwriter Gabriel Delayne on piano, along with Vermont-native Cam Hancock on drums - member of Seattle-based bands The Whags and Coral Grief. Briefly joined by singer-songwriter Noah Byrd on bass, the band self-produced their first EP “Valley” over the next year, consisting of a spread of old and new songs by Spieldenner. The EP demonstrates the bands versatility and arrangement prowess – it merges Spieldenner’s lyrics-forward style with warm and textural production, leaning on alt-country influences augmented by explorations into indie/alternative sonic territory. In October 2022, New Jersey-raised Tom Moskal joined the group on bass (originally of notable Seattle acts Coach Phillips and La Fille) and the band debuted at the historic Conor Byrne Pub in Ballard, WA. The band released their EP on hometown-hero DIY cassette label Den Tapes in April 2023. Live, the band’s arrangements are infectious – tight vocal harmonies between Delayne and Spieldenner are propped up by deliberate, often dancey rhythmic interplay between Hancock and Moskal. From time to time, Spieldenner’s lead guitar will take center stage, a rough and emotive ingredient to contrast the focused arrangements of the group. Delayne’s deliberate and lyrical piano style rounds it all out. The band’s live sound notably contrasts their recorded material, and that’s the way they like it – if the recording studio is a place to hone in on and design their sound, the stage is a place for them to find their edge and experiment. ______________________________________________ Praised for his introspective lyrics and vivid storytelling, Portland-based folk artist Arran Fagan has garnered a following in his native Oregon with his uncanny ability to weave the personal and universal. After getting his start in the grassroots music scene of Southern Oregon, Arran has spent the greater part of his life pursuing music, creating wistful and evocative songs that explore themes that connect us all—loss, addiction, change, and the endless passage of time. With heartfelt lyrics and rich instrumentation that has garnered comparisons to Josh Ritter and Nathaniel Rateliff, Arran has spent years in the NW folk music scene, getting his start playing coffee shops and house shows for college classmates and eventually going on to open for Northwest favorites like Leif Vollebekk, HorseFeathers, Kris Orlowski, Matthew Fowler, and Jeffrey Martin. In 2015, Arran recruited fellow University of Portland students Jack Pfeffer and Jonathan Wiley, and the three worked to perfect a sparse, melodic sound influenced by their individual backgrounds. Arran’s 2018 album “Weight of Time” debuted to a sold-out release show and was followed by a West Coast tour. Praised by outlets like half&half and Elsewhere for its powerful stories, cathartic songwriting, and ability to "[weave] concrete images and abstract feelings," “Weight of Time” saw Arran establish himself as a surefooted and exciting fixture in the Portland folk scene. After releasing an EP titled "Warmth / Death," Arran took a year-long hiatus while pursuing a Fulbright Grant working as a secondary English teacher in Sarawak, Malaysia. During the pandemic, Arran began recording a new record, “There is More Light,” which will be released on November 4th, 2022.